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Developing a practice guideline for the occupational health services by using a community of practice approach : A process evaluation of the development process

Kwak, Lydia ; Wåhlin, Charlotte ; Stigmar, Kjerstin LU and Jensen, Irene (2017) In BMC Public Health 17(1).
Abstract

Background: One way to facilitate the translation of research into the occupational health service practice is through clinical practice guidelines. To increase the implementability of guidelines it is important to include the end-users in the development, for example by a community of practice approach. This paper describes the development of an occupational health practice guideline aimed at the management of non-specific low back pain (LBP) by using a community of practice approach. The paper also includes a process evaluation of the development providing insight into the feasibility of the process. Methods: A multidisciplinary community of practice group (n = 16) consisting of occupational nurses, occupational physicians,... (More)

Background: One way to facilitate the translation of research into the occupational health service practice is through clinical practice guidelines. To increase the implementability of guidelines it is important to include the end-users in the development, for example by a community of practice approach. This paper describes the development of an occupational health practice guideline aimed at the management of non-specific low back pain (LBP) by using a community of practice approach. The paper also includes a process evaluation of the development providing insight into the feasibility of the process. Methods: A multidisciplinary community of practice group (n = 16) consisting of occupational nurses, occupational physicians, ergonomists/physical therapists, health and safety engineers, health educators, psychologists and researchers from different types of occupational health services and geographical regions within Sweden met eleven times (June 2012-December 2013) to develop the practice guideline following recommendations of guideline development handbooks. Process-outcomes recruitment, reach, context, satisfaction, feasibility and fidelity were assessed by questionnaire, observations and administrative data. Results: Group members attended on average 7.5 out of 11 meetings. Half experienced support from their workplace for their involvement. Feasibility was rated as good, except for time-scheduling. Most group members were satisfied with the structure of the process (e.g. presentations, multidisciplinary group). Fidelity was rated as fairly high. Conclusions: The described development process is a feasible process for guideline development. For future guideline development expectations of the work involved should be more clearly communicated, as well as the purpose and tasks of the CoP-group. Moreover, possibilities to improve support from managers and colleagues should be explored. This paper has important implications for future guideline development; it provides valuable information on how practitioners can be included in the development process, with the aim of increasing the implementability of the developed guidelines.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Evaluation, Practice guidelines, Process measures
in
BMC Public Health
volume
17
issue
1
article number
89
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • scopus:85009775206
  • pmid:28100201
  • wos:000392879600001
ISSN
1471-2458
DOI
10.1186/s12889-016-4010-0
project
ISkol- implementation of mental health guidelines in schools
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
24947b48-3c01-4995-81a6-d56f424f6565
date added to LUP
2017-02-06 10:05:20
date last changed
2024-05-12 06:50:44
@article{24947b48-3c01-4995-81a6-d56f424f6565,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: One way to facilitate the translation of research into the occupational health service practice is through clinical practice guidelines. To increase the implementability of guidelines it is important to include the end-users in the development, for example by a community of practice approach. This paper describes the development of an occupational health practice guideline aimed at the management of non-specific low back pain (LBP) by using a community of practice approach. The paper also includes a process evaluation of the development providing insight into the feasibility of the process. Methods: A multidisciplinary community of practice group (n = 16) consisting of occupational nurses, occupational physicians, ergonomists/physical therapists, health and safety engineers, health educators, psychologists and researchers from different types of occupational health services and geographical regions within Sweden met eleven times (June 2012-December 2013) to develop the practice guideline following recommendations of guideline development handbooks. Process-outcomes recruitment, reach, context, satisfaction, feasibility and fidelity were assessed by questionnaire, observations and administrative data. Results: Group members attended on average 7.5 out of 11 meetings. Half experienced support from their workplace for their involvement. Feasibility was rated as good, except for time-scheduling. Most group members were satisfied with the structure of the process (e.g. presentations, multidisciplinary group). Fidelity was rated as fairly high. Conclusions: The described development process is a feasible process for guideline development. For future guideline development expectations of the work involved should be more clearly communicated, as well as the purpose and tasks of the CoP-group. Moreover, possibilities to improve support from managers and colleagues should be explored. This paper has important implications for future guideline development; it provides valuable information on how practitioners can be included in the development process, with the aim of increasing the implementability of the developed guidelines.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kwak, Lydia and Wåhlin, Charlotte and Stigmar, Kjerstin and Jensen, Irene}},
  issn         = {{1471-2458}},
  keywords     = {{Evaluation; Practice guidelines; Process measures}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{BMC Public Health}},
  title        = {{Developing a practice guideline for the occupational health services by using a community of practice approach : A process evaluation of the development process}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-4010-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12889-016-4010-0}},
  volume       = {{17}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}